corrente

If you are planning tomorrow's breakfast (or this morning's, depending on when you read this) you might want to consider the cold pizza from last night, or maybe look under the couch for some old Halloween candy. In any case hold off on the milk for the Wheaties or cream for the coffee until you decide how safe you feel in George Bush's America(tm), where we fight terrorists Over There rather than Here:

(via USA Today)

An attack in which Washington state cows were coated with a toxic substance went unreported to federal officials for 10 days, a performance that local and national officials say is unacceptable when there are concerns about the safety of the nation's food supply.

The incident involved 10 dairy cows in Enumclaw, 35 miles southeast of Seattle. The animals were painted June 5 with a sticky red substance that caused welts, oozing sores and internal bleeding.

Three of the cows died; seven are recovering. Food and Drug Administration testing later identified the substance as chromium, used in dyes and as a wood preservative. No milk from the cows entered the food supply, the FDA said Wednesday.

..Officials say the incident represents a failure to take potential agriculture contamination seriously, particularly in the wake of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. There has been no cohesive homeland-security plan involving agriculture, and funding has been haphazard.

Before the Sept. 11 attacks, federal authorities likely wouldn't have been involved until the toxic substance was identified, says Ehart. "Washington state is a long way from the East Coast. And while you may think you're doing your job, you may not be in tune with the new issues," he says.

Um, WTF does that have to do with anything? Oh yeah, Washington's a blue state, isn't it?

Officials say the incident is particularly disturbing because Washington state has been ground zero for other food safety issues in the past 15 years, including the E. coli outbreak in 1993 and last year's discovery of the nation's first case of mad cow disease.

Yeah, having "Sadaam in prison rather than in power" has just had SUCH an impact on our daily lives, hasn't it? THAT was worth spending $187 billion and 800-plus lives on. Now drink your milk and shut up, Billy. Those who live on Kool-Ade don't care about some stupid cows, it's just Washington State anyway.